


Apple pies, salivating princes and doing your worst

by reig



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Day 5, Enchanted Forest AU, F/F, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swan Queen Week, and balls because i love enchanted forest balls, basically pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 20:08:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9564350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reig/pseuds/reig
Summary: My slightly late contribution to the 2017 Winter Swan Queen Week, for the prompt Enchanted Forest AU.A tale of a ball where Princess Regina finds an unexpected saviour in the form of a blonde haired, green eyed beauty, who she shouldn't feel this drawn to...Right?





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dreamerforeverd](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamerforeverd/gifts).



> This is for Dyane, who's a sucker for Enchanted Forest AUs. Thank you for being an amazing friend!! :)

Regina let out a soft groan as the maids tightened her dress even more. The light blue fabric stretched around her body, highlighting her every curve while still staying appropriate and glancing into the mirror, she had to admit, it was worth the pain, she looked really pretty in it.

“Oh, it's so exciting. You must look absolutely perfect tonight, my dear, you may just meet your future husband.” her mother strode into the room with a wide smile, her eyes roaming her form critically before she deemed Regina's outfit adequate with a sharp nod of the head. “Think about it, all the princes coming to the ball, looking for the most beautiful princess to marry... You must look best so you get all the offers and have the best choices. Life is hard, Regina, never forget that you must choose wisely.” Cora continued, putting a firm hand on Regina's shoulder and all she could do was nod.

“Yes, mother.” she said, resisting the urge to fight her mother. No not tonight. They had this talk a million times, Regina wanted true love and mother couldn't understand that.

“Good, now come along, dear. The first guests will arrive shortly...” Cora said, steering Regina out of her chamber, pulling a couple strands of her long curly hair into place as they descended the stairwells.

In half an hour, the castle's grand hall was bustling with people and Regina's cheeks hurt from the fake smiles she was forced to put while greeting the guests. Dances were about to start soon and she already promised her first three away to over-eager princes from prestigious families. Mother was insistent that she dances with them, not even really giving Regina a chance but accepting them for her.

Just as the first chords of a waltz sounded from the orchestra, Prince Robert appeared beside her outstanding his hand with a grin that was supposed to be charming, Regina was sure, but instead it was rather just a leer, his eyes lingering on her cleavage for just a few moments too long for Regina's liking and she was glad for the fact that she was wearing gloves. She wouldn't want to touch him...

He led her to the middle of the dance floor proudly, where else of course, but Regina couldn't really blame that on him, she knew it was customary for the Princess of the castle to dance in the middle at least for the first dance. However, what she could blame on him was his hand that settled just a bit too low on her hips. She took a tiny step backwards from him, causing his hand to slip up to an acceptable level. He led her through the dance smoothly, his steps confident and perfectly in rhythm. They made small talk meanwhile but when the music died down Regina quickly excused herself before he could have any ideas, missing the disappointed pout on his face before he shrugged and turned to look for another dance partner.

Her second dance partner was basically just a little boy, Prince Luke. He was at least three years younger than her and he prattled on and on about his pet puppy. He was adorable but not exactly the husband Regina dreamed of, no matter how wealthy his kingdom was.

Before her next dance, Regina caught a glimpse of her friend Kathryn from across the hall and she quickly made her way to her, glad to see a familiar, sensible face.

“Kathryn, thank god!” she sighed as she finally reached the blonde.

“Hi Regina! I saw you were quite busy. Popular with the princes, eh?” the blonde remarked with a sly smirk and Regina rolled her eyes.

“Oh shut it, you know how my mother is. You're lucky you already found Frederick and your father gave his blessing...” Regina murmured, wishing with all she had that she could be so fortunate as well.

“Yes, well... You'll find your prince too. Or princess, who knows?” Kathryn teased and Regina's cheeks colored with an unexpected blush.

“Kathryn!” she hissed, trying to hide her confusing self-consciousness with outrage.

“Hey, I'm just being open. Never say never. I wouldn't mind...” the blonde shrugged and there was something, just a small glint in her eyes that made Regina uncomfortable. She may have admired other princesses from time to time but that was merely a rational appreciation of a well-sewn dress or respect for a nicely coiffed hairdo. Right? And alright, she might have caught herself once or twice gazing at Kate, the kitchen maid outside in the gardens, but she was really pretty. Everybody knew that. So it wasn't... “Regina?” Kathryn's voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Yes?”

“I asked you who your third dance partner was?” Kathryn asked with laughter in her eyes.

“Oh, sorry... It's Prince Killian.” she grimaced, noticing said young man walking towards their spot with purpose in his steps.

“Well, be careful with that one. He's a rare disgusting kind. His hands are like oily tentacles, slipping _everywhere_ at once... I don't even know how he does it. And don't expect much from him intellectually either, I don't think he ever opened a book in his life.” the blonde swiftly muttered, her distaste of the prince clear. “Killian, hello. Goodbye.” she said, turning and walking away as soon as the man reached them and Regina had to hide her chuckle at her sassy departure.

“I came to collect my treasure, your highness...” Killian waggled his eyebrows, taking Regina's hand without even asking and pulling her to the dance floor. 

Kathryn was right of course, he didn't even try to hide his ogling and his hands were never even near appropriate places. Regina was shaking with fury by the time the dance was over and he had the nerve to try and ask for some 'private time' with her afterwards... As if she didn't know just exactly what kind of privacy he wanted. 

“Well Regina?” her mother appeared by her side as soon as she managed to get rid of the prince.

“Mother?” she asked back.

“Did you impress them?” 

“They didn't impress me, mother.” Regina muttered and Cora pursed her lips.

“They all came from excellent families, you should have no objections to any of them...”

“Well I have, mother. I will certainly not marry a man who cannot keep his eyes on my face. Or say one coherent sentence that is not about his oh-so-celebrated deeds.” Regina shuddered even from just imagining having to spend the rest of her life with any of them.

“Regina, please be reasonable and change your attitude. Your father and I just want what's best for you...” Cora said, her voice kind but her eyes stern.

“Maybe you don't know what's best for me, then!” Regina replied defiantly and not minding her mother calling after her with narrowed eyes, she stormed away with clenched fists. 

She slipped into a side-room quickly to have a moment of peace to calm her mind, pacing until her breathing evened out and the desperate tears she felt at the corners of her eyes subsided. She paused beside a window and gazed out, letting her eyes travel over the torches lighting the garden and the trail down to the apple orchard. 

“How dull, these balls, aren't they?” came a voice from behind her and she jumped, startled. She didn't expect anybody to be in the room so she never bothered to look around when she marched in and now she turned to see another princess leaning casually against the wall opposite from her, just a few feet away from the door. “Always the same: lecherous princes with grabby hands, expectant parents and no time to taste the desserts...” she grinned, her green eyes sparkling with amusement and Regina was speechless. 

Blonde hair, green eyes and an almost cheeky grin. White, fluffy dress -that left creamy shoulders exposed, Regina noted instantly then regretted just as quickly,  _what's wrong with her?_ ...  
Regina knew exactly who this was. It was Emma Swan of the White Kingdom. The rebel princess, infamous for her mischievous streak and often unladylike behavior. Regina heard of her only by gossip and Mother's disapproving tales, even though the White Kingdom was rather close to theirs. Regina was somehow never allowed near Princess Emma. And even by just taking one look at her, Regina knew immediately why. Princess Emma was everything Mother disliked, everything she deemed unacceptable for royalty. Her hair, that was surely made up into a beautiful bun when she arrived here, was down around her shoulders, cascading down in wild curls. Her dress was not tight enough at the bodice and from under her skirts Regina could spot brown riding boots, not white dance shoes, as it would be expected. She wore no make-up at all, not like she needed any, Regina thought she was gorgeous even like this, but she also remembered Mother's words about a princess needing to accent her natural beauty with a bit of make-up to stand out from the crowd. And her demeanor held no grace whatsoever. She looked comfortable and relaxed and like she didn't give a damn about anything... Regina felt a pang of envy. Also a pang of something else... longing? Yearning to what? Get to know this girl, maybe? 

“Don't look so spooked, I don't bite.” Emma said after long minutes of awkward silence. “Much.” she added with a wink and Regina's eyes widened, a flush spreading up her neck as she tried not to think about that...

“Why are you in here?” she asked finally, clearing her throat so her voice wasn't so scratchy. Emma laughed.

“Didn't I just explain it?” she asked.

“It's not your ball, though. You can enjoy the _pastries_ here...” Regina noted with a raised eyebrow.

“One would think, yes. But I only got one tart in when they were on me... Terrible.” Emma shook her head dramatically, a smile hiding on her face. “Your raspberry pie is amazing, though.”

“And you haven't even tried apple yet...” Regina teased with a smirk, unable to help herself and the grin that broke free on Emma's face made her so damn proud for some reason. 

“What about you, Regina? What are you doing hiding in here with a well-known miscreant?” Emma asked and the brunette found herself oddly distracted at the way her name rolled off of her tongue. She shook herself out of it and rolled her eyes.

“You're hardly a 'miscreant', Miss Swan. You have a bit of an attitude, yes, but nothing I can't handle.” 

“Is that supposed to be a challenge?” Emma teased and pushed herself off the wall. Regina bit into her lower lip, a weird rush of excitement running through her veins. 

“I never said that...” she drawled, her lips curling upwards as the blonde approached her.

“I can be just as bad as those salivating princes out there, even worse.” Emma murmured her threat, circling her like a prey.

“I highly doubt, since you already failed.” Regina stated, resisting the urge to squirm under the other woman's unyielding gaze.

“How so...?” she asked, coming to rest just behind Regina's left shoulder, so close that the brunette could almost feel the warmth of her body. 

A heavy silence stretched between them, the air weighted with a kind of electricity Regina has never felt before. It felt like it was washing over her in warm, pulsating waves, making her heart race and goosebumps appear on her skin. Delicious anticipation swirling around, filling the space and Regina bathed in it, enjoying these new sensations and wondering, wondering if it was from the single glass of champagne she was allowed to have at the beginning of the ball or the leftover tension from the argument with mother or maybe... could it be Princess Emma? Her presence that made her feel like this? That would be insane, right? 

“Well, this is the first conversation this evening that I don't feel the need to escape...” she said in a low tone, slowly turning around to face Emma. 

Their eyes met, sparkling forest green boring into pools of chocolate and suddenly it didn't sound so insane after all...

“Is that so?” Emma asked in a whisper.

“Yes.” Regina whispered back, their faces mere inches apart.

“Then, dance with me!” Emma said out of the blue, a smirk spreading on her lips. 

“What?” 

“Dance with me. If you dare...” the blonde teased, taking a step back- much to Regina's disappointment, not that she would ever admit that- and holding out her hand. She backed away even more, a swagger in her steps that Regina found immensely attractive, her eyes drawn to the blonde's form, her lips curling into a smile unconsciously as her body moved on its own, following Emma to the middle of the room. 

“Do your worst.” 

She put her hand into the blonde's outstretched hand, their palms sliding against each other, noticing for the first time that Emma wasn't wearing any gloves and wishing that she wasn't either so that she could feel the blonde's skin against her own. 

Never breaking eye contact, Emma closed her hand around hers and with a swift motion pulled Regina in, flush against herself, winding her other arm around her waist. With the muffled sound of music filtering in from outside they started to move, Emma's stance flawless as she led Regina through a couple of steps before they slowed their motions to simply swaying together with their foreheads pressed against one another, breaths mingling, lips almost  _almost_ almost touching... Wordlessly. Blissfully forgetting the world around them, the ball, the palace, all that they were and were expected to be outside of this embrace ceased to exist.

That was, until the door creaked open, forcefully bringing them out of the pleasant, dreamlike haze that fell around them. Regina's eyes snapped open,  _when did she close them?_ , and she wrenched herself out of Emma's arms in panic. 

“Regina?” came her father's hesitant voice.

“Yes, daddy, I'm here.” she replied, her voice embarrassingly raspy. She swallowed hard, trying her best not to look so flustered as the king walked into the room with a kind, sympathetic and entirely oblivious smile on his face. 

“There you are, sweetheart. Your mother's been looking for you, Regina.” he said, only then noticing that his daughter wasn't alone. “Oh, Princess Emma! How are you enjoying yourself?” he asked, his tone not wavering in warmness. 

“I... I'm... It's way better than I expected.” Emma answered cheerfully and Regina almost choked on a chuckle, finally turning to look at the blonde for the first time since her father entered the room. Emma stood a couple feet behind her, her hands clasped together on her abdomen in a surprisingly collected and princess-y way and if it wasn't for the faint rosy patch high on her cheekbones, that probably only Regina noticed, she would have looked as if they hadn't just been breathing the same air a second ago.

“That's lovely. Well, I apologize but we must go now, Cora's been very insistent.” King Henry smiled **,** holding out his arm for Regina and she took it, tearing her eyes away from Emma. “And if I heard right, Prince Killian has been looking for you, hoping for a dance...” he said to the blonde from the doorway.

“I don't dance, your majesty. Feel free to tell him that.” Emma winked after them, making Regina's heart skip a beat before she was led away by her father, the door closing after them, hiding the Emma from her view and she was back in the hustle of the ballroom. Couples dancing and people chattering all around and compared to the quiet and perfect peace of Emma's embrace it was overwhelming, hitting Regina in an uncomfortable, suffocating way.

“Regina! There you are!” her mother's shrill voice came and just out of the corner of her eye Regina could see a flash of blonde hair leaving the side room and easily disappearing in the crowd before Cora was by her side and steering her towards another waiting prince. 

And when Regina wasn't enamored by that one, she found another and then another, getting more and more agitated with the brunette as the night went on, scowling at her as if it was Regina's fault that these men were all disgusting and only looking for a bed warmer, a pretty girl on their arm. There were only a couple of princes Regina could tolerate but they were either already engaged or deemed not wealthy enough by her mother. She was being passed around like a toy, prince after prince, not even asking for  _her_ permission after a while only talking to her mother and it started to feel like this was some flea market, her being the merchandise. 

After about an hour she felt exhausted and furious at the same time, her knuckles whitened from her hand being constantly clenched, her tongue hurt from biting at it all the time to keep from remarks and her head was pounding. She was desperately in need of some air so when her mother was momentarily distracted, she took the possibility and sneaked out the door, making a break for the gardens. The click of her heels against the marble echoed around the corridor as she ran and she only stopped when cool, night air hit her face. She was panting and not just from the sprinting, hopeless, treacherous tears falling freely from her eyes as she stumbled over to her favorite apple tree. Soundless sobs wracked her body, her whole form trembling as she sucked in sharp breaths. She hated this, hated balls and hated being sold out like she was property and not a human being. She hated that she'll have to marry one of those princes in the end, sooner or later mother would tire of her insistence on true love or one of the kingdoms would come with a better offer or god forbid their kingdom would need another's help and then, she'll be doomed... And if that wasn't enough, there was Emma Swan now. A consistent presence in her mind, a lurking little glow that made her stomach flutter whenever she allowed her thoughts to wander there. Every flash of blonde hair made her head snap around, hoping to see familiar ( _familiar,_ when did anything about Emma Swan become familiar to her?) messy curls, every amused chuckle caused her skin to tingle, aching to check if it belonged to a certain seemingly always unbothered princess. And every dance she was forced into reminded her of a gentle hand closing around hers and a strong arm wrapping around her waist and bright green eyes so soft... 

“Your father interrupted before I could get to my 'worst'.” a thoughtful voice sounded from behind her and Regina quickly wiped her eyes instinctively before it registered in her mind that she knew who it was. 

“Emma!” she gasped, turning around and another last relieved sob bubbled out of her at the sight of the blonde, standing at the entry of the gardens. 

The other woman crossed the distance between them in three quick strides, closing her arms around Regina without asking, the brunette burrowing herself in her embrace, hanging onto her like a lifeline and this was so wrong  _so wrong_ but it felt right and she just couldn't help herself... Emma started rocking them from side to side in a little dance, tenderly stroking Regina's hair in a comforting way.

“I thought you said you didn't dance...” Regina murmured into the blonde's neck teasingly, feeling the answering chuckle rumble across her chest.

“I don't. Or at least that's how they know. You won't tell my secret, will you?” Emma asked and Regina raised her chin, meeting the blonde's adorning eyes. 

“Never.” she whispered with a smile. “As long as you keep dancing with me...” she said and it was more like a question, an imploring, shy plead, her eyes vulnerable.

“Always.” Emma replied honestly and then she was kissing Regina, soft lips caressing her own, brushing against hers with feathery pecks and it was all too much and not enough, never enough. In that moment Regina knew for sure she would never ever get enough of kissing Emma. It was sweet, careful and wanton at the same time like Emma wanted so much but was afraid Regina would break if she kissed her too hard, so Regina tangled her fingers in blonde tresses and kissed her back with all the passion she felt, trying to make sense of the mess of feelings that were bursting out of her heart, fear and doubt and wonder and yearning and love... Love. Love. So much love, her heart soared with it. She craved Emma, her soul and her mind and her body, it was nothing like she ever felt before. She wanted to know this woman inside out, she wanted to keep hours and hours tracing the lines of her face, kissing every spot until she knew it better than her own, she longed to spend the rest of her life getting to know all that Emma was. 

“See? Nothing I can't handle...” Regina murmured into the blonde's ear when they finally broke apart, her breath coming out in short puffs.

“Oh yeah?” Emma asked, grinning before she ducked down to devour Regina's neck, trailing wet kisses and bites all around, making Regina's eyes roll back into her head as she let out an involuntary whimper, her head falling to the side to make room for Emma's lips, incredibly grateful for the blonde's arms around her waist, keeping her upright because her knees started to give in. 

A deep growl broke free of her when Emma sucked on her pulse point and the blonde laughed smugly against her skin and no, she absolutely couldn't have that, could she...So Regina cupped Emma's cheek, bringing their lips back together into a kiss that they both were quickly getting addicted to, their mouths crashing, tongues dancing and  _when did Emma get so talented at this...?_

“Regina?” someone called out and then another, outraged cry sounded. “Regina!”

Cora came marching towards them, her eyes flashing in fury, her glare jumping from her daughter to the blonde woman who held her in her arms.

Regina, getting out of the Emma-induced-daze she was slowly becoming more than comfortable with, jerked away from said blonde and without a conscious decision to do so, she stepped half in front of Emma in a protective manner. Knowing what her mother was capable of, especially when she was this angry. Because she could see from afar that Cora was furious.

“What the _hell_ are you doing?” the older woman asked, finally coming to a stop a couple of feet away from them, her eyes dangerous, her lips pursed into a thin line. 

There was no denying what she clearly saw and frankly, it never even crossed Regina's mind to deny. She didn't want to lie anymore, she didn't want to keep pretending and putting up with her mother's matchmaking. This was it. This was her chance. And even if it meant she would have to stand up to her mother and face her wrath, even if it meant she would possibly lose everything one glance at Emma- this smart, strong, funny and shockingly caring creature that she found herself immediately enthralled by- was enough for Regina to know at once that it would be worth it. One glance which told her that the blonde would be there for her, supportive and protecting and without saying a word helping her make up her mind as she took a long breath, deciding that it was time to face her mother once and for all.

“Mother, I made my choice.” she said determination steeling her voice. 

“What do you mean?” Cora asked suspiciously.

“I will marry Princess Emma.” Regina stated, her heart beating in her throat and she had a short moment of doubt, dread creeping up her spine at the thought that what if Emma didn't want this, what if she was forcing herself on the other woman, what if... But her line of thoughts was interrupted by slender fingers entangling with her own, Emma taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly and it was all Regina could do not to sag in relief.

“Don't be ridiculous.” Cora snapped. “You can't possibly marry _her_.” she said, shooting a disdainful look Emma's way.

“Why not? She's royalty. Her kingdom is wealthy and powerful, it would make an excellent ally mother, you must admit that. Merging our kingdoms will make us unbreakable. It is rather a rational choice if you think about it...” Regina reasoned, knowing that no matter what she said her mother wouldn't like the idea. Also knowing that no matter what her mother thought she wouldn't change her mind. If she had to run away to be with Emma, so be it, she would. 

“That's... you... you can't...” Cora stammered and if her stomach wasn't knotted together in anxiety, Regina would have laughed at having rendered her mother speechless. 

“I can, mother, and I will, whether you like it or not. You can either lose your daughter or stand by me, and pretend it was all your brilliant idea to make our kingdom stronger.” 

Regina watched as her mother fumed for another minute, silently debating with herself, trying and failing to find a loophole, an error in the plan, a way for her to prevent this from happening and slowly realizing that there was none. Then she glared at them once more and without saying anything more she spun on her heels and strode back into the castle. 

Emma and Regina stood there quietly clutching each other's hand for a long moment, simply processing what just happened and what that meant, waiting for Cora to return with somebody to back her up and destroy them one way or another but she didn't come. The garden was empty, except for them and after a while Emma dared to move and she turned towards Regina, a grin spreading on her face.

“Now that's what I call doing my worst...” she snorted and Regina couldn't help the laugh that slipped past her lips, her brain still half-frozen by incredulity at the recent events. She just... got engaged, she guessed with an internal chuckle. Oh dear lord, she just got engaged... Also, she was most probably in love, judging by the warm, fluttery, light sensation that seemed to swell and expand in her chest and all through her body. She would marry Emma Swan. She was in love with Emma Swan. 

“Idiot.” she rolled her eyes affectionately.

“You're stuck with me, your majesty” Emma murmured playfully as she reached out to cup her cheek, pulling Regina into a loving kiss.

 

_Three months later_

 

Regina let out a soft groan as the maids tightened her dress. Well, it was more accurate to call it a gown. A long, white gown, hugging her body perfectly. After the bodice was fastened she checked herself out in the mirror. She turned to the side and smoothed her palms down her abdomen, eying herself just as critically as her mother used to.

“You're beautiful.” came a voice from behind and she jumped, spinning around with a scowl ready on her face.

“Emma!” she cried out but her fiancée's laughter cut her off.

“Calm down, I didn't peek. I'm behind this silly screen you insisted on.” Emma said and sure enough Regina could see the other woman's silhouette behind the folding screen that separated their sides of the chamber.

“Then how can you know how I look?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“You always look beautiful, Regina...” Emma murmured earnestly and the brunette could feel a blush cover her cheeks. It was ridiculous how after months of being together, Emma still could make her her feel like that with just the pure honesty of her voice when she complimented her. “And I can't wait to actually see it.”

“Well you need to wait just a bit more.” Regina stated stubbornly. “Are you ready?” she asked, looking at the screen again and trying to gauge if Emma was already dressed.

“All done, just waiting for you.” Emma nodded.

“Okay, I just need a couple more minutes. You can go, I'll meet you downstairs.” Regina said, sitting down in front of the vanity so her maid can put the finishing touches on her hair. Half of it was up in an elegant bun and the other half was let down, the ends curling at her shoulder. The maid started to carefully pin a white flower into the bun as Regina fidgeted nervously.

“Alright. Can't wait. See you in a bit.” Emma's cheery voice came but Regina knew her better than anyone, recognizing the nerves hiding in her easy tone. She heard the blonde's steps leaving the chamber then after a moment Emma's voice sounded again as she stuck her head back through the doorway. “Hey! I love you.” she said lightly and a smile broke free on Regina's face.

“I love you too.” she called back before hearing Emma move away again.

“You're very lucky, princess.” her maid said shyly and Regina met her gaze in the mirror.

“Yes, I am.” she smiled, feeling like her heart was about to explode with sheer happiness. “Thank you, you may leave.” she nodded gratefully when the maid stood back, admiring her handiwork for a second before it was time to go.

She reached for the bouquet that rested on the vanity table, specially put together for the occasion, each flower hand-picked by Emma, and each in Emma's bouquet picked by her. It was lovely, white lilies and orchids and something tiny and white that she didn't know the name of but she loved it.

Her father was waiting for her on the corridor and when he saw her, his eyes welled up with proud tears.

“You are so pretty, sweetheart.” he told her and leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek.

She took his arm and he led her downstairs and out to the apple orchard where a small clearing was decorated with flowers and ribbons and fashioned into a makeshift chapel for the day.

The guests were already there, a whole crowd of princes, princesses, kings and queens, barons and all kinds of royalty as well as the maids and guards from their castle all gathered together to witness Princess Regina's and Princess Emma's wedding. It was an unexpected union for many reasons, yet to Regina it seemed like it was inevitable. It was fate. Destiny. It was how this was supposed to happen all along. It was right, so right. Princess Emma, the rebel princess, the unladylike black sheep her mother warned her about, just happened to be the one person to steal her heart. And she gave it willingly, seeing Emma like nobody else did. Not as the mischievous wild card everyone thought her to be, but so much more. An independent and strong woman who was just afraid of getting hurt, who wanted nothing more than to belong, whose love was all encompassing and tender and who would face a dragon with bare hands for those she cared about.

Music started up as soon as she reached the clearing and everyone turned to stare at her. She took a shaky breath, not yet daring to fully believe that this, this dream was actually happening. Her father started to walk down to the aisle and Regina allowed her eyes to seek out the altar with the priest and next to him, Emma. And after that she didn't have eyes for anything else. Not the crowd. Not the flowers and decorations. Not her friends' happy face or her mother's plastered on smile in the front row next to Emma's gleefully weeping mother - who was quite a character and Regina didn't know how Cora could tolerate this woman who was so naïve and innocent and kind and happy all the time, the complete opposite of her, but Regina guessed that today was indeed a day of miracles. As soon as her eyes found Emma, she was all the brunette could see. Those deep green orbs shining with adoration toward her as she approached and _how the hell did she get so lucky?_ Her simple sleeveless dress that was somehow so _Emma._ Utterly and indescribably Emma. The bouquet Regina created for her grasped tight in her hands, colorful and bright. Her blonde locks that were put up for once, pulled into a loose ponytail of sorts, a few strands framing her gorgeously flushed face. And her face. The way she beamed at Regina with so much emotion that the brunette felt herself choke up, wishing she had some way to preserve this moment till the end of time, knowing she would never ever forget it.

And then she was standing right next to Emma and her father squeezed her arm, pulling her into a hug.

“Thank you, daddy.” she breathed into his shoulder.

“I'm so proud of you.” he muttered to her, stroking her cheek before he retreated to his seat, leaving Regina at the altar.

She turned to face the priest, an old lady from Emma's kingdom called Granny who was also the owner of a tavern or so Regina heard and she wasn't sure how the two occupations fit together but she was about to marry a woman, becoming the head of the first kingdom with two queens so who was she to question it...

A warm hand sneaked around hers, lacing their fingers together as they stood side by side and Emma leaned in to whisper in her ear.

“I told you you would be beautiful.”

“Oh shush.” Regina whispered back, a smile hiding on her face.

“You love me.” Emma's reply came.

“Of course I love you, but you're an idiot.”

“May I start the ceremony, ladies?” Granny asked, all sass and knowing smirks and oh, Regina already liked her.

Emma snickered and Regina squeezed her hand to get her to behave at least on their wedding, nodding to the older woman with a sheepish smile.

But inside she was grinning like an idiot, barely able to contain her excitement. It was happening, it was finally happening. And she was happy. So incredibly happy.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a blast to write, I hope you enjoyed reading it too! Any and all feedback is much appreciated! :) And also kudos to everyone participating in Swan Queen Week, I've seen so many great things this week, gifsets, artwork and of course tons of fics. I love this event and I love SWEN, you guys rock!! Thank you to each and every one of you!


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